This is a blog about living on Cape Cod and running a Wellfleet bed & breakfast, open year long. I'm a Russian-American who spent 25 years in France. My husband Sven is from Sweden. Sweden’s colors are blue & yellow. Mix them, and you get green, a concept we embrace. No toxic chemicals, please, and organic food whenever possible . . .

Friday, May 04, 2007

Our cottage guests lumbered in from New York City, blinking in the bright sunshine of the afternoon yesterday, happy to have three days rest away from bustle and noise. They came with bikes and lots of energy. I greeted them outside and we walked into Seagull Cottage together. “Wow!” said the man. “This is amazing! It is even more beautiful than in the photos!” “Look!” squealed his girlfriend. “A real kitchen!” “We will definitely recommend this place,” the man added as we sat down for my ten-minute everything-you-need-to-know-about-Wellfleet speech.Sven and I especially enjoy experiencing strangers’ discovery of Seagull Cottage, called “a hidden treasure” by one 2004 guest. It is, in fact, our former home, which is why the place is so incredibly cozy. We love having guests who find us online themselves and have studied all the pages of the Web site. Advertising can prove expensive for small businesses like ours. In fact, it is hard to know where to advertise. Next week we will have an ad on treehugger.com and hope it will generate June business. There is still one full week available for Seagull Cottage and Liberty Coin Suite is only half booked. It is a slow process figuring out which sites produce the most hits. As it turns out, many Internet searches actually originate from recommendations. I can tell because people simply Google Chez Sven. Word-of-mouth must spread news of our green policies and hospitality. We are delighted!